RT reported that on May 11, the Indian Ministry of National Defense said that the country had just held an inauguration ceremony for the BrahMos hypersonic missile factory in Uttar Pradesh state, chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
The event also included a groundbreaking ceremony for the Defense Testing Infrastructure System (DTIS), built right at this complex to serve the inspection and certification of defense products.
The BrahMos factory was built at a cost of about 35 million USD and completed after 3 and a half years. According to some sources collected by India Today, in March, the Defense Shopping Council of India (DAC) approved the purchase of 250 BrahMos missiles.
The BrahMos missile - with a range of 290km to 400km and a speed of up to Mach 2.8 (about 3,500 km/h) - is considered an important strategic component in the arsenal of the Indian army. This type of missile is designed to accurately attack ground targets at long range, which can be deployed on land, at sea and underwater.
In addition to the factory, the BrahMos Aerospace Integrating and Inspection Facility has also been put into operation, playing an important role in the assembly and testing of missiles, according to the Indian Ministry of National Defense.
BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture between India and Russia, established in 2005, named after the two rivers Brahmaputra (India) and Moscow (Russia). The Defense Research and Development Organization of India (DRDO) holds a 50.5% stake, while NPO Mashinostroyenia - representing Russia - holds a 49.5% stake.
The inauguration of the BrahMos missile factory comes just a day after India and Pakistan agreed a ceasefire on May 10. However, just hours after reaching an agreement, large explosions occurred in many border cities and towns. India has accused Pakistan of violating its commitment, while Islamabad denied it.
Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Misri said Pakistan had violated the agreement reached by the two countries earlier in the day, stressing that the Indian armed forces had been instructed to " handle strongly" any recurrent actions.
For its part, the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan affirmed that the country is committed to maintaining the ceasefire agreement, and accused India of being the violator. Our forces are handling the situation responsibly and controllingly, the statement said.
